, 1887-05-28
"No Ha1d Fawn1s
(Concludei from second pdge.)

N'a'A AAS uEDA OIl II ldCb Oh
= corpse. In my progress wading through
the swamp I had gone around rather to the
dde Of the house toward where l supposed the
pawn" itself to lie.
was now quito near to 1t, and striking a
little less miry ground, as l rushed my way
through the bushes and canes which were
higher than my head, 1 became aware that l
was very near the thicket that marked the
graveyard, just beyond which l knew the
pond itself lay. l was somewhat startled,
for the cloud made 1t quite dnsky, and step
ping on a long piece of rotten timber lying on
the ground, l parted the bushes 10 look down
the pond As l did so tho rattle Of a chain
grated on me, and g~lancing up through the
cane before me appeared a heavy upright
timber with an arm or cross beam stretching
from 1t, from which dangled a long chain
almost rusted away. knew by instinct that
l stood under the gallows where the murderer
Of No Hail Pawn had eIpiated his dreadful
crime. lis corpse must have fallen just
where I stood. started back appalled,
Just then the black cloud above me was
parted by a vivid lame and a peal OF thunder
seemed to rive the earth.
turned In terror, but betore I had
gone fifty yards the storm was upon me, and
instinctiyely l made for the only refuge that
was ut hand. 1t was a dreadful alternative,
but / did not hesitate. Outside l was not
even sure that my life was safe. And with
extraordinary swiftness I had made my way
through the broken iron fence that lay rust
ing In the swamp, had traversed the yard,
all grown up as 1t was to the very threshold,
had ascendei the sunken steps, crossed the
rotted portico and entered the open door.
A long, dark hall stretched before me, ex-
tending. ss well as I could Judge In tho gloom,
entirely across the house. A number OF doors,
some shut, some ajar, opened on the hall on
one side; and q broad, dark stairway assembled
on the other to the upper story. Tho walls
were black with mold. At the far end a large
bow window, with all the glass gone, looked
out on the waste Of swamp, unbroken save
by the clump of trees in the graveyard, and
just beside this window was q break where
the dark staircase descended to the apart
ments below. Tho whole place was in a state
of advanced decay; almost the entire plaster
ing had fallen with the damp, and the hall
presented a scene Of desolation that beggars
description.
l was at last In the haunted housed
The rain, driven by the wind, poured in at
the broken windows In such a deluge that l
was forced in self defense to seek shelter In
one OF the rooms. l tried several, but the
doors were swollen or fastened; l found one,
however, on tho leeward side Of the house,
and pushing the door, which opened easily, /
~ holdC 4 lOuIu SOiuCbuluk liza I'll
old bed; and the great open fireplace had evil
IDENTIFY been used at some earlier time, for the
ashes were still banked up In the cavernous
hearth, and the charred ends Of the logs of
wood were lying In the chimney corners. To
see, still rs fresh and natural as though the
fire had but Just died out, these remnants OF
domestic life that had survived all else of a.
similar period struck me as unspeakably
CHASTITY. The bedstead, however, though
rude, was convenient as a seat, and / utilized
1t accordingly, propping myself up against
one of the rough posts. From my position /
commanded through the open door the entire
length OF the vacant hall, and could look
straight out OF the great bow window at the
head OF the stairs, through which appeared
against the dull sky the black mass of the
graveyard trees, and a stretch of one of the
canals or CUTS of the swamp curving around
it, which CLEANED white In the glare of the
lightning.
/ had expected that the storm would, like
most thunder storms in the latitude, shortly
exhaust itself, or. as we say. "blow over; :" but
1 was mistaken, and us the time passed, its
violence, instead OF diminishing, Increased.
1t grew darker and darker, and presently the
startling truth dawned on me that the gloom
which l had supposed simply the effect of the
overshadowing cloud had been really night
fall. was shut up alone In No Haid Pawn
for the night
1 hastened to the door with the intention of
Drawing the storm and getting away; but l
was almost blown Off my feet. A glance
without showed me that the CUTS with which
the swamp was traversed In every direction
wero now full to the brin, and to attempt to
find my way home in the darkness would be
sheer madness; so, after a wistful survey, |
returned to my wretched perch. / thought l
would try and light a fire, but to my conster-
nation l had not a match, and 1 finally aban-
doned myself TO my fate. 1t was a desolate,
if not despairing, feeling that l experienced.
My mind was filled, not only with my own
unhappiness, but with the thought of the dis
tress my absence would occasion them at
home; and for a little while l had q 1eeting
hope that a party would be sent out TO search
for me. This, however, was untenahle, for
they would not know where / was. The last
place in which they would ever think OF look
ing for me was No Haid Pawn, and even II
they knew | was there they could no more
get to me in the darkness and the storm than
l could escape from it.
l accordingly propped myself up ON my
bed and gave myself up to my reflections. l
said my prayers very fervently. l thought |
would try and get to sleep, but sleep was far
from my eyes.
My surroundings were too vivid to
Ny ~ a"Aul
OF the place, do what / might to Danish them,
would come TO my mind. The original build
ing Of the house, and its blood stained fouuda-
ton stones; tho dead who had died of the
pestilence that had ragged a~fterward; the
bodies carried by scores and buried in the
sobby earth OF the graveyard, whose trees
doomed up through the broken window; the
dreadful story Of the dead padding about the
swamp in their collins; and, above all, the
gigantic maniac whose ferocity even murder
could not satiate, and who had added to muir
der awful mutilation; he had dragged tile
mangled corpse Of his victim up those very
steps and flung it out Of the very window
which Gaped just beyond me in the glare OF
the Lightning. 1t all passed through my mind
as / sat there in the darkness, and no effort
Of my will could keep my thoughts from
| dwelling on 1t. The terrific thunder, out
crashing a thousand batteries, at times en-
crossed my attention; but 1t always reverted
to that scene OF horror; and II 1 dozed, the
slamming of the loose blinds, or the terrific
fury of the storm, would suddenly startle me.
Once, as the sounds subsidized for a moment
or else l having become familiar with them,
as was sinking into a sleepy state, a door at
the other end OF the hall creaked and then
slammed with violence, bringing me bolt up
right on the bed, clutchinR nv gun. could